Packaging-machine article feed



v June 30, 1925. l,544,093

ML KLEIN PACKAGING MACHINE ARTICLE FEED Filed Aug. 26, 1924 Patented June 30, 1925.v

UNITED STATES MAXIMILIAN KLEIN, or NOETII PLAINEIELD, NEw .IERsEY, AssICNoE To AMERICAN' MACHINE AND EOUNDEY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OE NEW JERSEY.

PACKAGING-MACHINE ARTICLE FEED.

Application mea August' as, 12924. serm No. 134,171.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, MAXIMILIAN KLEIN, a citizen of the United State-s, residing at North Plainfield, county of Middlesex, and State of New/Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Packaging-Machine Article Feed, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved packaging-machine article feed of the type wherein a vplurality of articles are separated from a mass and encased in a wrapper.

In packaging machine-s employed in the packaging of cigarettes of the tucked-end type, or of the crimped type, and in which the cigarettes are drawn from a hopper containing a large number and fed by gravity down through a delivery throat into a plurality of stacking chambers having stationary stacking devices or plates, or synchronously movable stacking devices or plates. it frequently happens that the cigarettes become jammed in the stacking chambers by reason of the engagement of the protruding ends or seams of the cigarettes with the upper edges of the plates. This necessitates machine stoppage to clear away the obstrucition, and machinestoppage results in de- 'IAS Cir

creased production. The main object of the present invention is the production of a packaging-machine article feed which will overcome this diiiiculty, by providing two Sets of coacting stacking devices operative in the delivery throat of the feed mechanism, and differentially moving said sets, so that any article which happens to become hung up on the upper edge of any of the stacking devices or plates will be shaken free by the relative movement of the adjacent device or plate. With this and other objects not specifically mentioned in View, the invention consists in certain combinations and constructions which will be here inafter fully .described and then specilically set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

ln the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and in which like characters of reference `indicate the same or like parts, Fig. 1 is a front ele vation, partly broken away, of a device constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on thev line 2-2 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in perspective 'of the stacking devices and Operative connections of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4 is a detail vlew of an lncapacitating and rehabilitat- Ingdevice used in connection with agitating dev1ces employed in coaction with the stacking devices; and Figs. 5 and 6 are details views of an incapacitating and rehabilitating devices used in connection with the cigarette ejector of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In carrying the invention into effect, there is provided a source of article supply, such for example as a hopper for containing a large number of cigarettes from which relatively small collocations of cigarettes are drawn from time to time.' There is further provided two sets of stacking devices located in the delivery throat of said source of supply or hopper, and means for differentially moving said sets for the purpose hereinbefore pointed out. In thebest constructions, there is further provided agitating devices coacting with said stacking devices, and an ejector coacting with said stacking devices to clear the way for its operation upon successive collocations ofcigarettes. All of the above mentioned parts may be widely varied in construction within he scope of the claims, for the particular device selected to tom. In this delivery throat, at its bottom, 4

are mounted two slides 9 and 10, side by side, and movable in a direction across the throat 8. The slide 9 carries a series or set of stacking devices or plates 11, the plates occupying vertical positions in the throat. Similarly, the slide 10 carries a set of stacking devices orv plates 12, interspersed among the plates 11. Both sets are given a differential reciprocatory movement for the purpose hereinbefore mentioned, and this movement is accomplished by means of the following instrumentalities: The slide 9 is connected to one end of a rod 13, and the slide 10 is connected to one end of a second rod 14, the opposite ends of both rods being connected to a single actuator in the form of a slotted cam-actuated lever 15 which is fulcrumed at 16 tothe frame of the device. The cam which actuates this lever is one of the cams of the machine in connection with which the device is used, and is not shown in the drawings. By an inspection of the drawings, it will be noted that the ends of the rods 13 and 14 are connected with the lever 15 at different radii. lAs a result Yof this-arrangement, the slide 9 will always have a longer movement than the slide 10, though in the same direction. The difference 1n movement is not great but it is suiicient to dislodge a cigarette caught on the upper edge of any of the plates 11 or 12. It will be further understood 'that'the slot in the lever 15 permits adjustment of the rods to vary the differential movement Vol the stacking devices if desired.

There are further provided agitating devices coacting with the stacking devices. These agitating devices are in the form of swinging walls 17, 18, and 19of a wellknown kind operating in the throat 8 above the stacking devices 11 and 12. These swinging walls derive their motion from a crank 20 and suitable linkage, the crank bein driven by a shaft 21 operated by suitab e connections from the main shaft of the machine in connection with which the device is used. The linkage differs from' that in general use by the inclusion therein of a device for incapacitating and rehabilitating the agitating devices Without interrupting the operatiolr of the stacking devices, the agitating devices not being essential in packaging cert-ain articles. This device is built into the connecting rod attached to the crank 2O.l The rod is made in two parts with a tenoned joint at 22, the joint being normally held in closed condition by means of a sleeve 23 slidable over the joint and held thereover by the coaction of a spring 24 and collar 25. To incapacitate the agitating devices, it is only necessary to slip the sleeve 23 back and disconnect the tenoned joint at 22. To rehabilitate the same, it is only necessary to reconnect the tenoned joint and permit the sleeve to hold it in locked position.

There is further provided ej ectingmechanism for removing a collocation of cigarettes from the stacking chambers. This mechanism includes a plunger 26 having lingers movable through the spaces between the stacking devices or plates 11 and l2. The leading endsl of these lingers carry wipers 27 which serve to sweep away any particles of tobacco which may have found their way to the top of the slides 9 and 1() which form the bottom of the stacking chambers. The plunger is reciprocated by means of a cam-actuated lever 28 and link 29. In order to provide a device for incapacitating and rehabilitating the ejecting mechanism without interrupting the opera- 30 is spring-pressed by means of the spring 33. When the pin 30 1s withdrawn from the position shown in Fig. 5 to the position shown in Fig. 6, the link may be swun up f clear of the lever 28, thus releasing the riving connection and incapacitating the ejecting mechanism for the time being, as during the inital loading of the device with cigarettes.

For the purpose of holding u theciga.- rettes in the stacks while the gottommost cigarettes are being removed from the stacking chambers by the ejectin mechanism, there is provided a gang of ngers 34 ful crumedat 35 to the side of the stacking chambers. A spring 36 tends to press the fingers against the cigarettes in the chambers which lie above the collocation to be removed. Secured to the fingers 34 is an arm 37 which straddles a rod 38 which is movable to a slight degree in the same directions as the ejecting plun er 26. This rod has a head 39 which, at the retracted position of the plunger 26 is engaged by said plunger and slightly retracted to cause acollar 40 on the rod 38 to engage and retract the arm 37 and consequently the fingers 34, sothat cigarettes in the stacking chambers may fall to its floor, or in other wprds, to the upper surfaces of Athe slides 9 and 10. When the plunger 2G moves forward to eject cigarettes from the stackingl chambers, the engagement of the head 39 with the plunger is broken. This permits the spring 36 to act to move the fingers 34 into engagement with the uppermost cigarettes in the stacking chamber and thus hold them while the lowermost cigarettes are being ejected. A spring 41 aids this action when the plunger is moved forward,

What is claimed is:

1. A'packaging-machine article feed comprising a source of article supply having a delivery throat, two sets of coacting stacking devices in said throat, and means for differentially moving said sets.

2. A packaging-machine article feed comprising afsource of article supply having a delivery throat, two sets of coacting stacking devices in said throat, and means for di 'erentially moving said sets, said stacking devices being vertically positoned in said throat.

3. A packaging-machine article feed comprising a source of article supply having a delivery throat, two sets of coacting stack ing devices in said throat, and means for differentially moving said sets, said stacking llfl ternately secured to independently movable slides.

5. A packaging-machine article feed comprising a source of article supply having a delivery throat, two sets of coacting stacking devices in said throat, and means for differentially moving said sets, said means including a single actuator operating both sets of stacking devices.

6. A packaging-machine article feed comrising a source of article supply having a elivery throat, two sets of coacting stacking devices in said throat, and means for differentially moving said sets, said means including a cam-actuated lever operating both sets of stacking devices.

7. A packaging-machine article feed comprising a source of article supply having a delivery throat, two sets of coacting stacking devices -in said throat, and means for differentially moving said sets, said means including a cam-actuated lever and connecting rods pivoted thereto at different radii and to said stacking devices.

8. A packaging-machine article feed comprising a source of article supply having a delivery throat, two sets of coacting stacking devices in said throat, and means for differentially moving said sets, said means including a cam-actuated lever having a radial slot, and connecting rods pivoted to said stacking devices and in said slot at different radii.

9. A packaging-machine article feed comprising a source of article supply having a delivery throat, two sets of coacting stacking devices in said throat, and means for differentially moving said sets, the movement of said sets being reciprocatory.

10. A packaging-machine article feed comprising a source of article supply having a. delivery throat, two sets of coacting stacking devices in said throat, means for diiferentiallymoving said sets, and agitating devices coacting with said stacking devices.

11. A packaging-machine article feed l comprising a source of article supply having a delivery throat, two sets of coacting stacking devices in said throat, means for differentially moving said sets,and ejecting mechanism. p

12. A packaging-machine article feed comprising a source of article supply having a delivery throat, two sets of coacting stacking devices in said throat, means for differentially moving said sets, agitating devices coacting with said stacking devices, and ejecting mechanism.

13. A packaging-machine article feed comprising a source of article supply havinga delivery throat, two sets of coacting stacking devices in said throat, means for differentially moving said sets, agitating devices coacting with said stacking devices, and means for incapacitating and rehabilitating said agitating devices without interrupting the operation of said stacking devices.

14. A packaging-machine article feed comprising a source of article supply having a delivery throat, two sets of coacting stacking devices in said throat, means for di'erentially moving said sets, agitating devices coacting with said stacking devices, and means including a jointed rod and spring-pressed lockin sleeve for incapacitatingand rehabilitating said agitating devices without interrupting the operation of said stacking devices. v v

15. A packaging-machine article feed comprising a source of article supply having a delivery throat, two sets of coacting stacking devices in s aid throat, means for differentially moving said sets, ejecting mechanism, and means for incapacitating and rehabilitating said ejecting mechanism without interrupting the operation of said stacking devices.

16. A packaging-machine article feed comprising a source of article supply havin g a delivery throat,.two sets of coacting stacklng devices 1n sald throat, means for differentially moving sald sets, eJectmg 'mechanism, and means including a springpressed locking pin uniting operative connections for incapacitating and rehabilitating said ejecting mechanism without interrupting the operation of said stacking devices.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

MAXIMILIAN KLEIN. 

